


First Round

by Diary



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Allison Argent & Lydia Martin Friendship, Ambiguity, Awkwardness, Bechdel Test Pass, Canon Character of Color, Dead Erica Reyes, Father-Daughter Relationship, Female Protagonist, Female-Centric, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Late Night Conversations, Literal Sleeping Together, Love, POV Allison Argent, Past Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Pre-Episode: s03e07 Currents, Season/Series 03, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-22 22:59:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11390190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diary/pseuds/Diary
Summary: Repost. “I’m sorry, Allison, but you’re going to have to be a messenger. Erica, why do you want Boyd dead?” Complete.





	First Round

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Teen Wolf.

“Allison, wake up.”

Looking over, Allison takes a deep breath. “You’re dead.”

“And you’re not,” is Erica’s dry response. “But for whatever reason, you can hear me, at least. Can you see me?”

“Yes.”

“Not my first choice,” Erica mutters. “Anyway, I’m new to this haunting thing, but do what I want, and I can disappear.”

“What do you want?”

“Kill Boyd.”

“You’re not Erica,” Allison declares. Her hand finds one of her knives.

“Yeah, whatever you want to think is fine. But trust me, I’m not leaving until you do what I want.”

“Erica would never want that.”

“How would you know?”

“Because, you- she loved him.”

“I was sixteen, Allison. Look, I don’t want you to hurt him. You can do it without resorting to that.”

Closing her eyes, Allison starts to count.

“That won’t work. You were willing to before, but now, because I need it, you won’t? You really do hate werewolves.”

“No,” Allison says. She gets out of bed. “I don’t.”

“Seriously, I’m not going to go away until you do.”

…

“I’m sorry to call you so late.”

Deaton gives her a sympathetic look. “Is she here now?”

“What part of, ‘I’m not leaving until he’s dead,’ is so difficult?”

“Yes,” Allison answers.

“Erica, why don’t you and I talk and leave Allison out of it?”

“Hey, if you can swing that, I’m in. Believe me, I don’t want to be near her, but she’s the only one who’s been able to hear and see me.”

Pushing back all her different feelings and reactions, Allison neutrally relays the message.

“Okay,” Deaton says. “I’m sorry, Allison, but you’re going to have to be a messenger. Erica, why do you want Boyd dead?”

“I don’t have to explain myself. I’m not leaving until he is.”

“I’m not a killer.”

“You almost were.”

“Allison, I need to know exactly what she says.”

Sighing, Allison closes her eyes, focuses on her breathing, and tells him.

“Erica, from Scott told me, you and Boyd were always close. Is that why you want him dead? So that he can join you?”

Erica makes a noise of frustration. “Here’s the deal: my feelings for Boyd don’t matter. He needs to die, and Allison is the only one I’ve managed to get. It’s nothing personal.”

Instead of telling Deaton, she snaps, “He could kill me. You want a human to go against a werewolf.”

“You’re a freaking hunter! You almost killed both of us, once. Get the frell over your newly discovered conscience, grab some arrows or knives or wolfs bane, go to his house, break in, and kill him,” Erica demands.

“I am sorry for what-”

“I don’t care. You hearing and seeing me isn’t something I’ve done. I don’t care about what you did to either of us. I need him dead. Do it.”

Before she can relay the message, her phone chirps.

Reading the text, she jumps.

**Boyd** :

_I know this is weird, but could we meet on neutral ground soon?_

“Good,” Erica says. “Do it then, Allison. Just throw some wolfs bane in his face, slit his throat, and cut him in half.”

Allison shows the text to Deaton and relays what Erica said.

“It might be best for you to completely steer clear of Boyd until this is solved,” he suggests.

Part of her is offended, but most of her understands. She nods.

“I’ll do some research,” he continues. “Unfortunately, I have no idea what you should and shouldn’t do.”

“Kill Boyd,” Erica supplies.

…

Allison sneaks back into bed.

Sleep, however, doesn’t come.

At least, if I ever need sci-fi or Batman trivia and Stiles isn’t around, I might be lucky enough to remember this, she tells herself.

“But he doesn’t even know to cook chicken properly,” Erica says, and Allison jolts from her doze to find the sun shining through her window. “It’s not that hard to-”

“Allison? Sweetheart,” her dad says from outside the door. “Did your alarm not go off?”

She doesn’t have to fake the off quality to her voice, “Dad, could you get me some medicine? I have a headache and a stomach-ache.”

Erica finally quiets when her dad enters and puts his hand on her forehead. “Is anything else wrong? Did you sleep last night, sweetheart?”

“Not much,” she admits.

“Why didn’t you come get me?”

She just shakes her head.

“You don’t have a fever,” he says. “I’ll make you some tea and go pick up some soup and medicine, okay, honey? Call me if you need anything. Promise me, Allison.”

“Thank you. I promise, Dad. Right now, I’m just going to try to get some more sleep.”

Kissing her, he leaves.

“So, are you going to get the arsenal, or should I go on about how Derek should never be allowed within fifteen feet near the stove?”

Allison covers her head with her pillows.

…

“Which is why frozen yogurt tastes better in-”

Her phone chirps, and she grabs it.

**Scott** :

_Are you okay? I heard that your dad called you in sick._

**Lydia:**

_Heads up, sweetie, Scott is ready to skip school._

**Isaac** : 

_Boyd said he sent you a text. Is that why you’re avoiding school?_

“This would be so much easier if you’d just kill him and let me disappear.”

Ignoring her, Allison sets the laptop aside and starts sending messages.

**To** : Scott

_I might be coming down with the flu. Don’t worry. I’ve never gotten very sick._

**To** : Lydia

_Please, try to stop him. I don’t want anyone around while I’m feeling like this._

**To** : Boyd

_I’m sorry, Boyd. I didn’t check my messages until five minutes ago. I’d be happy to meet you whenever and wherever you want, but not right now. I hardly slept last night, and my dad thinks it might be the beginning of a flu. It might be a few days before I can come back to school._

“Liar,” Erica declares.

Allison barely resists the urge to throw her phone.

**Scott** :

_Let me know if I can do anything._

**Isaac** :

_Sorry. Boyd just told me you hadn’t checked your messages. I can cover for Scott’s shift tonight if you want him to come over._

“Beck and call,” Erica mutters.

Setting aside the phone, Allison sighs. “Let’s talk, Erica.”

“That’s what I’ve been doing.”

“You come back from the dead, or- whatever’s happening here, and the only person who can see and hear you is the person who shot arrows at you and ran electricity through you. You’d be right to be upset. Angry. But all you’re focusing on is Boyd. Maybe it wouldn’t have lasted. You were sixteen. But I fell in love when I was seventeen, and I know it was real. Boyd took arrows for you. I was there at the lacrosse game. You- please, don’t take this the wrong way, but you begged. You begged me to stop, and I didn’t. I didn’t, but- some part of me knew how much pain- it was sadism on my part.”

Erica huffs. “Really? I didn’t come back to talk about this. I tried to kill a girl who’d been attacked and was going out of her mind. I was a bitch in more than just the literal term of the word. I would have happily slept with your boyfriend if he’d let me. Move on, Allison. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

“Why is Boyd dying important?”

For a long moment, Erica’s quiet.

“You hunt werewolves,” she finally answers. “Is the fact it’s a former werewolf instead of your grandpa giving the order that’s stopping you?”

“I protect people. I’ve always protected Scott, and I’ve protected both Boyd and Isaac.”

“How do you know killing Boyd isn’t for the greater good?”

“Is it?”

“Yes.”

Allison looks at her. “I get the feeling you’re lying.”

“Kill him, or I start talking about my thoughts on how Battlestar Galatica should have ended.” 

Wishing she’d asked her dad to get her some earplugs, Allison picks up her laptop.

…

“And I don’t know how they could have missed that. Do you know how much their salary is per episode? I looked it up, once, and the head writer made-”

“How are you doing, Allison?” Deaton inquires.

“I hate Merlin, and I’ve never even seen an episode.”

“You could always kill Boyd,” Erica suggests. “He’s the one who’s big on Sir Lancelot. He’s the reason I watched it in the first place.”

“Erica, I need to ask you some questions.”

“No. Get her to kill Boyd, and I go bye-bye.”

“I am not killing Boyd,” she hisses.

Suddenly, an idea hits her.

“I think I know what to do,” she tells Deaton.

“Ki-”

“No,” she says. Picking up her phone, she calls Boyd.

“Allison?”

“This is weird, and I’m sorry,” she says. “But I need to talk to you as soon as possible. It’s about Erica.”

“Ten minutes.” He hangs up.

“Good, now get-”

“Quiet,” she orders.

“Allison?”

“I need you to stay,” she tells him. “And if I try to attack Boyd, I need you to do whatever you have to, to stop me.”

Deaton looks at her with an expression she can’t decipher. “Okay.”

…

“I wish possession was an option,” Erica says.

“You wanted to talk about Erica,” Boyd prompts.

“In a minute. First, what did you want to talk to me about?”

“I was wondering if you’d teach me archery. Carrying a gun around would put me in even more danger, and I need more than my werewolf abilities to protect myself.”

She finds herself genuinely touched, and of course, Erica has to ruin it with, “She could give you a practical demonstration if-”

Allison tosses a pillow across the room. “I’m having a- day,” she tells Boyd. “It helps to toss my pillows around.”

He looks sceptical but simply asks, “Why’s Deaton here?”

“He heard about my flu. Or whatever it is. Yeah, totally,” she agrees. “I’d be happy to.”

“Erica,” he repeats.

“Right, Erica,” she mutters.

“He’s unarmed, and Deaton’s in the kitchen. Do us both a favour and kill him!”

“I don’t know how this is going to sound, but I forgive you, her, and Isaac. I don’t know if I can ever forgive Derek, but when it comes to Lydia, I forgive you all. But what you tried to do to her didn’t give me the right to do what I did. I was weak and let myself manipulated. It was easier to listen to my family condemn werewolves than it was to ask the questions that needed to be asked. And I understand if you hate me, and I understand if you consider me an enemy. If you ever try to go after another innocent person or try to hurt me, I will try to stop you. If comes down to killing you, I won’t hesitate. Otherwise, you don’t have to worry about me.”

She takes a breath. “If you do hate me, if you do consider me an enemy, I won’t try to change your mind. I will ask that you tell me to my face. I want to know where I stand.”

“I don’t hate you,” he says, and she can’t detect any deceit. “And I don’t consider you an enemy.”

She breathes out, and Erica lets out a stream of both real and what she imagines are sci-fi swearwords.

Surprising her, he continues, “I don’t blame you for her death.”

All she can do is look at him.

“There were a lot of circumstances that led up to it, but Kali’s the one who killed her.”

“He’s lying,” Erica announces.

Jumping slightly, she looks over to see Erica frowning at Boyd.

“It’ll hurt less if you kill him,” Erica continues.

“What was Erica like?”

He looks at her.

“I never really knew her,” she points out. “Before Derek turned her, I never talked to her. Afterwards, the few conversations we had weren’t pleasant.”

“She was alive,” Boyd answers. Before she can react, he says, “I mean- there’s a trope called manic pixie dream girl. It’s usually about a male character being able to truly live due to a vivacious female character. I didn’t really know her, either.”

“True,” Erica declares.

“So, you were in love with an idea instead of who she was?”

“Yes, go with that and kill him.”

Boyd simply shrugs.

“Tell me something about her you didn’t like,” she gently suggests.

“If she made a decision, there was usually no changing her mind. She wouldn’t listen to reason, and it didn’t matter if it hurt people,” he says.

“She’s aware, trust me,” Erica says.

“It sounds like we all have that in common.”

“It’s been years since I’ve really talked to anyone,” Boyd says. “She could talk for hours, and I loved listening to her. Sometimes, she was worried she was talking too much,” he adds.

Allison is sincerely glad someone enjoyed Erica’s chatter. It makes her feel a little less guilty for being so irritated she’s literally felt like screaming.  

It also makes her feel even guiltier. Obviously, Erica has put a lot of time into her thoughts, and Allison’s sure, for those with more patience, like Scott and Boyd, hearing such thoughts can be enriching.

“What did she not like about you?”

“She didn’t like how reserved I could be,” he answers. “Most of the time, she led, and I followed. Sometimes, she’d want me to contribute more.”

“I’m really sorry she’s gone, Boyd.”

“Seriously, I will find a way to possess you, and I’ll do it myself,” Erica grumbles.

“I’m glad we didn’t manage to kill Lydia.”

She smiles. “When do you want to start working on training?”

“Allison,” her dad calls.

Groaning, she quickly gets up.

…

“Could I please-”

“No,” Lydia answers.

At least, Allison reflects, Lydia is just tangling her bowstrings rather than cutting them.

“Is this how we’re going to handle our disagreements, now? You destroying my stuff?”

“I’m not technically destroying it.”

“Maybe,” Erica muses, “if I concentrate really hard, I can possess her. After all, it’s been done before, right?”

“Possess her, and I kill you.”

Lydia looks at her, and Allison realises how badly she’s completely mishandling this situation.

“I didn’t want to involve you,” she offers.

“That worked out so well last time,” Lydia retorts. “So, you’re seeing someone who looks and sounds like Erica, and she wants you to kill Boyd.”

“Yes. And she won’t shut the hell up.”

“At least, I’m not stupid enough to threaten a dead person,” Erica retorts.

Something about the statement strikes her.

“Lydia, this is going to sound strange, but can the dead be threatened?”

“I suppose if their living loved ones are threatened, they can be. Why? Allison, what are you thinking?”

“I don’t know,” she admits.

“I’m staying the night,” Lydia declares.

…

_Run!_

_Just go!_

_Please, Allison!_

Waking up, she takes out the earplugs.

“Are you ready, Allison?”

Being careful not to disturb Lydia, she crawls out of bed, grabs her knives, and leaves.

Getting into Boyd’s house and room is distressingly easy, and she looks down as he sleeps on his bed.

“Do it, Allison.”

Opening his desk, she finds vials of wolfs bane and mountain ash.

“Allison,” Boyd says in a groggy, wary tone.

“Someone wants you dead.” She pockets the vials. “And it has something to do with Erica.”

“Oh, for-”

“Why would someone- Never mind.” He goes to turn on the light. “What does Erica have to do with anything?”

“That’s a good question. We need to go to Deaton’s.”

“Okay.” He grabs a shirt and a pair of jeans.

…

“She’s gone,” Deaton asks.

“For the moment,” Allison answers.

Boyd looks between them. “Who’s gone?”

Gesturing to the vials, she asks, “Why did you have these?”

“In case the alphas attacked my house.”

“How did you get them,” Deaton inquires.

“We stole them from Stiles.”

“You and Erica,” she asks.

He nods.

“How long ago?”

“Before the alphas came,” he answers. “Originally, we stole them so that we could try to figure out defences against them.”

She closes her eyes.

“Allison?”

She waves her hands. “Both of you, be quiet.”

Keeping her eyes closed, she listens to their breathing.

An image appears in her mind of Boyd leaning back as Erica nuzzled his neck and tapped her fingers against his stomach.

“Do you want me to kill him, or do you need me to?”

“Both,” a different Erica answers.

Opening her eyes, she finds two pairs of confused, uneasy eyes looking at her.

“Boyd, do you ever feel Erica’s presence?”

“No.”

Ignoring how badly she feels for him, she looks over at Deaton. “I promise this is necessary.”

She flings the wolfs bane in Boyd’s face.

“Why?”

“Because,” she explains as she handcuffs Boyd to the table and pours mountain ash around him, “Erica’s in trouble, and if he thought dying would help her, he’d kill anyone who tried to stop him.”

…

Time freezes, and Erica appears.

Then, she turns into a blurry, shapeless figure.

**The first round is yours.**

“Who are you? Why are you doing this? What are you doing?”

**Do you honestly think your arrows and knives can do anything against me, young soldier?**

She realises she’s in a defensive stance with her knife aimed. “I can try.”

**Six people will be chosen. Nevertheless, be warned, little soldier, that getting this one through might cost you dearly in the future. When it comes to your mother’s round, you won’t be chosen.**

…

“Allison, wake up.”

Looking over, Allison takes a deep breath and tries to grab the fragments of her dream.

“Allison? Sweetheart,” he dad says from outside the door. “Did your alarm not go off?”

She grabs her phone. The most recent text is from Lydia three days ago. 

“Yeah, sorry, Dad,” she calls. “I’m up. Thanks.”

…

After school, she goes to Boyd’s house.

“Could we talk,” she asks.

She sits on his bed, and there’s something vaguely familiar about the conversation of forgiveness, boundaries, and Erica’s place in his heart.

“I know being a werewolf gives you a lot of different abilities, but there’s something to be said for weapons training,” she tells him. “It’s not a good idea for a teenager to carry a gun around. If you’d like, I could teach you how to use other weapons.”

Sounding surprised, he says, “I’d like that. I was thinking about asking you.”

“Does this weekend work for you?”

He nods.

“I need to get going. I’ll show myself out. Thank you, Boyd, for talking to me.”

When she gets to the front door, she realises she left her purse in his room and goes back.

Once she gets there, she stops.

Boyd is peacefully sleeping, and Erica crawls onto the bed and slips underneath his arms. He relaxes even more and tilts his head back. Erica looks over and gives her a weary, half-thankful nod before closing her eyes.

Allison blinks, and though Erica isn’t visible, there is a sudden strong presence in the room. Boyd looks as if he’s having pleasant dreams.

Going over to the desk, she finds one of the drawers open. Inside it is a vial of wolfs bane and a vial of mountain ash. Digging plastic baggies out of her purse, she puts a vital in each, sets them on the table, and leaves a note telling him to be more careful about leaving dangerous ingredients lying out in the open.


End file.
